Mikami's Unmatched Success: Two Big Acquisitions Post‑Cap
I love how Mikami made bank 2x now after leaving Capcom. First when Bethesda acquired Tango in 2010 (shortly after establishing the company + before releasing a single game) and now with the same thing again. There is no other Japanese creator with this track record.
Pearl Abyss Shares Surge 28% After 3M Sales
Now, investors are having a "Whoopsie" moment and are currently sending the Pearl Abyss stock +27.76% up. The studio yesterday announced 3M Crimson Desert copies sold. Happens in Asian markets all the time with game stocks. (It's 11:30am Wed in Korea, trading continues)...
Activist's Absurd $0.99 Mario Jump Demand Resurfaces
In 2014, the same activist urged Nintendo to "Just think of paying 99 cents just to get Mario to jump a little higher." This ridiculous nonsense is still online: https://t.co/KzZa7miCN0 So we're in for a treat.
Pearl Abyss Shares Plunge Nearly 30% Amid Investor Discontent
Apparently not good enough for investors. Stock price for publisher Pearl Abyss in Korea (where it is Thursday afternoon) currently -29.88%.
Pokemon Company Hires PhDs to Engineer Real‑life Creatures
1) Are we getting closer to breeding real-life Pokemon?🙃 The Pokemon Company in Japan is recruiting PhD candidates in science, engineering, or agriculture. They say they prefer people with "experience in the ecology of plants and animals". https://t.co/vuShd35i95
Netease Aborts $44M‑short Game Amid US Funding Crackdown
So Gang Of Dragon might never see the light of day. Netease pulled the plug after realizing the game needs US$44M more to get finished. With the US tightening the screws on Chinese money in gaming, I wonder where Netease...
Japanese Gaming’s Ongoing Stealth Staff Cuts Exposed
This is now making the rounds online, but stealth staff reduction has been going on for years in gaming in Japan - as I laid out in my thread here on X in October 2024 already: https://t.co/Y8RPoVIvDF
Korean Market Plunge Drags Game Stocks ~10% Lower
Korean stock market -12% today, the bloodbath affected the local game companies like so: Neowiz -13.7% Kakao Games -12.5% Netmarble -11% Com2Us -10.8% Krafton -10.6% Nexon Games -10.3% Devsisters -10.2% PearlAbyss -10% Shift Up -8.8%
Featured in CNBC Nintendo Business Report with Arjun Kharpal
Yours truly is featured in this @CNBC Nintendo business video report by @ArjunKharpal, alongside @Chris_Dring: https://t.co/pLhVIlTkNg
Microsoft Set to Bulldoze Xbox Business This Year
Our industry has been steamrolled for a while, and make no mistake: This is not cosmetics. Microsoft will run through their Xbox business with a bulldozer this year. (For the sake of Xbox employees, I hope I am wrong.)
Digital Game Purchases Remain Unresellable in 2026
The concept of digital asset ownership applies to entire games on PC and console, too. It's 2026, and we still cannot sell or just transfer our "used" digital games once we bought them. Am I the only one who thinks this is...
Tencent's Tiny Wildlight Stake Dwarfed by Massive Cash Flow
Tencent's free cash flow last quarter was US$13B, so the amount they invested in Wildlight is (probably) minuscule for them. They and competitor Netease are in plenty of other deals that are not made public, both in the West...
Investors Fear Unstable Pricing for Switch 2,
Why investors are concerned about price stability this year for Switch 2 and PS5 this year (+ why Steam's upcoming devices still have no price):
Sega's Modest Impairment Validates 2013 $140M Atlus Deal
I have been waiting for when Sega would do this and surprised the impairment loss is not higher. Reminder that in 2013, Sega bought Atlus parent Index Corp. for what was US$140M back then - a fantastic M&A.
Ubisoft Beats Forecast, Rainbow Six Mobile Hits 18M Pre‑Regs
Ubisoft in Paris just reported its Q3 + sounded pretty happy, beating their forecast. No Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake announcement yet, but they did confirm Rainbow Six Mobile has 18M pre-registrations and is due out worldwide on Feb 23. Call with...